


The Set Up

by therealjanebingley



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Wingman Nino Lahiffe, but it's not the main plot, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:28:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23019325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therealjanebingley/pseuds/therealjanebingley
Summary: Nino & the boys are determined to set Adrien up on a date - due to a misunderstanding, they try to set him up with Chat Noir.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 44
Kudos: 461





	The Set Up

**Author's Note:**

> We already got to see the girls support Marinette in Operation: Secret Garden - I thought it would be fun to watch the guys support Adrien's love life too, in their own misguided way.
> 
> (Not enough editing went into this - sorry in advance.)

Chat Noir was used to putting his foot in his mouth – sometimes literally, depending on how the akuma of the day hurled him across Paris. It’s a good thing Ladybug’s Miraculous Cure can fix broken teeth.

Adrien, on the other hand, wasn’t usually allowed to use enough words to mess them up. Every hour of every day (minus the hours he spent in a skintight leather catsuit), he represented his father’s company. And if there was one lesson Gabriel drilled into his son, it was this: sit still, look pretty. End of discussion.

So when he got permission to spend an evening with the guys at Nino’s place, Adrien wasn’t expecting to put his foot in his mouth.

But that doesn’t mean he didn’t.

“Bro, I’m so glad your dad finally let you come to guys’ night.” Kim clapped him on the shoulder.

Adrien grinned. “Me too, Kim.”

“So dude.” Nino stretched out on the couch, a slice of pizza in each hand. “Now that it’s just us guys, spill.”

“Spill?”

“Spill the beans,” Max clarified. “It’s a common expression meaning tell us everything.”

“This is a safe space,” Ivan said, nodding.

“It’s bro code,” Nino agreed. “Nothing you say here with ever get back to the girls.”

Adrien looked around the room, mystified. “What are you talking about?”

“Alya’s right, you really are clueless,” Nino sighed, reaching for more pizza. “We want you to tell us if you have a crush.”

“A c-crush?”

“Look at him blushing!” Kim laughed. “What mortal managed to catch the eye of Mr. Model Agreste?”

“Uh–“

“According to the psychology of attraction and the law of proximity, it’s most likely to be the person he spends the most time with,” Max said. “In fact, the exact probability–“

“Is it another model?” Kim asked.

“Someone famous?” Nino followed up. “Someone-“ here he shared a look with all the other guys in the room “-in our class?”

Adrien had been looking forward to cheating on his diet, but he found he didn’t have much of an appetite anymore. “I don’t – I don’t have a crush. I’m too busy.”

“Too busy for love?” Ivan asked skeptically.

“He’s blushing again!”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but his friends. Of course he had a crush – Ladybug would always hold his heart. But he couldn’t tell his friends that. They would never understand. They’d think it was some dumb celebrity crush, and Adrien didn’t think he could stand talking about his Lady as if he didn't personally know every wonderful thing about her.

Nino leaned forward, tapping his fingers together. “You know I’m dating a journalist, right?” The glint in his eyes made Adrien squirm. “All right, dudes, let’s put our heads together and figure this out. Has anyone seen our boy Adrien pay special attention to anyone, ever?”

His friends thought for a moment, and Adrien had never been so aware of his pulse. He’d only been around Ladybug as his civilian self a handful of times, there was no way any of them would make this connection. He was more nervous about what connections they were going to make if they thought too hard about his life. “I already told you, Nino, there isn’t anyone!”

“Adrien is a frequent visitor of the Ladyblog,” Max supplied, and Adrien blanched.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was keeping tabs on Alya,” Kim joked, and Nino slapped him with a piece of pizza.

Adrien flushed. “I’m not-“

“Alya’s not the only one featured on the Ladyblog,” Ivan pointed out.

Nino raised his eyebrows. “Ooh, does this mean you’re into Lady-“

“Chat Noir!” Adrien interrupted, panicking. “I – I keep tabs on the Ladyblog because I think Chat Noir is really cool.”

The boys exchanged another look. “You think Chat Noir is cool?”

“Well yeah, don’t you?” Adrien asked, a little miffed. “I mean, he’s one of the heroes of Paris! He beats up akumas-“

“In a sexy cat costume,” Kim deadpanned.

“-in a super cool suit,” Adrien agreed, wringing his hands. “And come on, you’ve heard those cat puns, right? He’s hilarious!” Adrien didn’t normally praise his alter ego for three reasons: (1) it was in poor taste, (2) he avoided talking about Ladybug and Chat Noir as much as possible to avoid suspicion, and (3) his father had drilled into him for years that no part of Adrien Agreste was quite good enough. But he had to draw their attention away from Ladybug. His friends were too good at reading him, and if they got him talking about his Lady, he feared what they might find out. “

So the reason you’re always on the Ladyblog is…Chat Noir,” Nino said slowly.

Adrien nodded. “Yep. Chat Noir.”

Kim shrugged. “Cool, man.”

They moved on to other topics – girls, friends, teachers, the latest video games. As per usual, Adrien had to leave early. The second the door closed behind him, Nino got everyone’s attention. “Dudes, I think our mission is clear. Alya would definitely kill me if she found out about this, but we owe it to our bro to help him out.”

“What do you have in mind?” Max asked.

Nino clasped his hands together. “We’re going to set Adrien up with Chat Noir.”

|||

The next day, an akuma struck during lunch. Nino watched Adrien sprint towards the scene, and it finally made sense - this was why his bro was always disappearing during akuma attacks! He was probably hiding out somewhere watching his favorite leather-clad hero.

Alya ran towards the attack, too, but Nino didn't bother trying to stop her. Instead he headed for Francoise Dupont's front steps, where Max, Kim, and Ivan were already waiting for him.

"Who knew we'd get to put Operation: Wingman into effect so soon!" Kim crowed, bouncing up and down.

"Focus up, dudes," Nino said seriously. "Remember your positions - spread out and keep Adrien's future boyfriend and our future bro in sight. Whoever's closest when they've defeated the akuma asks to talk to him about something important. Ready?"

Kim stuck his hand in the center of the circle. "Wingmen on three!"

"One, two, three, wingmen!"

The boys raced back and forth, staying close enough to keep tabs on Chat Noir but far enough that they wouldn't get in his and Ladybug's way. It was over fast - Ladybug purified the akuma, the superhero duo bumped fists, and a confused soccer mom got to her feet, clutching her child's participation trophy. The four boys converged on the scene just in time to hear Ladybug's earrings beep. "I'd better go," she said, swinging her yo-yo.

"Cat-ch you later, Bugaboo," Chat Noir purred, and Ladybug rolled her eyes before swinging away.

"Chat Noir! Dude!" Nino gasped for breath, stopping beside his friends.

The superhero leaned casually on his baton, grinning widely at them. "Do I spy some fans of mine? Fe-line like you want an autograph?"

"Actually, du-ah, Chat Noir, we need to to talk to you." The boys exchanged glances, nodding in solidarity. "We have a friend who's super into you, and we want to set the two of you up."

Chat's smile widened even more, his tail flicking behind him. "Really?" His friends hadn't mentioned this to him before - well, at least not to Adrien. But if Nino, Kim, Max and Ivan said they knew someone who liked him, then it must be someone in their class. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Actually," Nino said, clearing his throat, "his name is Adrien Agreste."

Chat Noir's grip on his baton slipped, and he almost fell. "A-Adrien? Agreste?"

"You know, the world famous model?" Max pointed to a nearby billboard, where Adrien's giant face smiled down at them.

Chat gaped at it, head spinning. "The model?"

"Look at his face!" Kim said triumphantly. "He's blushing! Just like Adrien!"

"You're like, his idol," Nino added. "He thinks you're totally cool. And funny! And he likes your outfit."

"You know," Kim said, snorting, "it doesn't surprise me that Sunshine has a thing for bad boys."

"Adrien Agreste?" asked Chat, who had not processed anything past hearing his own name. "Me?"

Nino nodded, clearly pleased. "It's a good thing you realize what a catch he is, dude. Our bro Adrien is the best." Chat's heart swelled at his friend's words, even if his head was still a little foggy.

"So will you do it?" Ivan asked. "Will you let us set you up on a date?"

"I don't-" Chat stared at his friends' pleading faces. They were doing something so nice for him - a little misguided, sure, but nice. How could he let them down? "Sure."

"Awesome!" Max grinned.

"Best wingmen ever!" Kim said, punching the air.

Chat barely heard Nino's promise to contact him with details through the Ladyblog. As his friends turned and ran back to school, yelling out their thanks behind them, Chat's head descended from the cloud of love and friendship it was stuck in and sunk back into cold, hard reality. "What did I just do?" Chat asked himself, and as he turned to leave, he was startled by his giant face on the billboard. "What are you smiling at, Sunshine?"

Chat detransformed as soon as he jumped through his bedroom window, taking a few more steps before he face-planted on the couch. "I'm an idiot," he moaned.

"No arguments here," Plagg said, zooming toward the fridge.

Adrien rolled over. "What did I say to make them think I have a crush on Chat Noir?"

"He's so funny and his suit is so cool," Plagg mimicked. "He's Paris' sweetheart and I wish he was mine." The little god cackled as he dodged the pillow Adrien hurled at him.

"This isn't funny!" Adrien moaned. "Ladybug's going to be mad at me."

Adrien was so anxious about Ladybug's reaction to the mess he'd gotten himself into that he arrived for patrol half an hour early. When Ladybug finally swung onto the roof, she found Chat Noir lying facedown on the concrete. " _Chaton_? Are you all right?" She crouched next to him.

He rolled over and sat up, refusing to meet her eyes. "I messed up, LB."

She put a hand on his shoulder, her touch warm in the chilly night air. "What's going on, _mon minou_?"

He sighed. "It's my civilian self. I was talking with some friends, and I accidentally said too many flattering things about my superhero self."

Ladybug snorted. "Classy, Chat."

"It was an emergency!" Chat whined. "They just - they got the wrong idea, and today after the battle they cornered Chat-me and asked to set me up on a date with civilian-me."

Ladybug stared at him for a second, bluebell eyes wide, and then dissolved into a fit of giggles. Chat Noir didn't know if he'd ever seen her laugh like this, so fully and without inhibition. His frustration melted away. He could listen to that sound forever.

"Are you done?" he asked, sounding annoyed on principle but secretly loving every second of her laughter. 

Ladybug wiped a few tears from her eyes. "I'm - I'm sorry Kitty, that's not funny. I shouldn't laugh." She took a deep breath and straightened, and then another laugh spilled out of her. She doubled over again, clutching her sides.

"Yeah, yeah," Chat Noir said, soaking in the sight of her genuine joy. "Laugh it up, Bugaboo."

"So they're trying to set you up with yourself," she said, voice still shaking with mirth. "Only you, _Chaton_ , only you."

"What should I do?" Chat was aware he was pouting, but he couldn't help it. "It's not like Chat Noir can show up in the same room as A - as civilian-me."

"Oh, _mon minou_ ," Ladybug said, giving him a fond look. "There are all sorts of ways out of this. Chat shouldn't date civilians, because they could be targeted by Hawkmoth; you could say civilian-you ran into Chat-you and had a heart-to-heart, and you just don't think it'll work out; or you could just tell them the truth and say you were never interested in yourself in the first place."

Chat felt a smile tug at his lips. "You always know just what to say, Bugaboo. I was only praising Chat Noir in the first place because I didn't want to admit I'm in love with you."

Ladybug's eyes widened for a moment, just like they always did when he expressed his feelings so openly. She shuffled her feet for a moment, and then smiled at him. "Ready for patrol, partner?"

"Always, my lady."

|||

The next morning, Nino almost pulled Adrien's arm off as he yanked him out of his car. "Dude, you're here! We have some good news!" Nino guided Adrien to the rest of the guys, who were waiting in a huddle off to the side.

"Yo, Adrien!" Kim threw an arm around his shoulders. "We got you a date with Chat Noir!"

Max shushed him. "Kim! This is top secret!"

"Wait, you guys got me a date with Chat Noir?" Adrien asked, feigning confusion. "Why?"

"Well, you kinda made it sound like you have a thing for him," Nino said, shrugging. "He agreed to go out with you, bro."

Adrien laughed. "Guys, I do not have a thing for Chat Noir. If anything-" he took a deep breath "-I'm in love with Ladybug. I was just too embarrassed to tell you."

Ivan patted him on the shoulder. "You don't have to be embarrassed around us."

"If anything we're embarrassed we just harassed a superhero into dating you," Kim said.

"Oh, no," Nino said, his face falling. "What are we going to tell Chat Noir? He'll be crushed."

"I'm sure he was just being polite," Adrien said, trying to keep a straight face.

"But now that we know you prefer Ladybug, we can try to set you up with her!" Max added.

"No, no," Adrien waved his hands, "listen. Guys, I'm so grateful that you did this for me, but going after Ladybug is a bad idea." He had to force the words out. "Anyone associated with her is in danger from Hawkmoth. Plus, she's way too professional to ever date a civilian."

"That makes sense," Nino conceded. Then he chuckled. "Adrien, I cannot believe I managed to set you up with Chat Noir."

"You did WHAT?!"

The boys jumped, cowering under the fiery glare of Alya. "Nice knowing you, bro," Kim squeaked, and the boys scattered.

By the time class was starting, Nino had apologized over ten times to Alya. Adrien didn't know exactly what his bro was apologizing for, but he'd never been in a relationship himself, and they seemed complicated. Alya was still muttering under her breath behind them when Marinette burst through the door, tripping over her own feet on the way to her desk. "I'm here!" she chirped, dropping into her seat.

"Girl, I know it's only the first class of the day, but you've already missed the drama." Alya shot a look at Nino, who shrunk into his seat. "My idiot boyfriend tried to set Adrien up on a date with Chat Noir. Can you believe it?"

"What?" Marinette stared at Adrien as though she was seeing him for the first time. He was used to getting a lot of strange looks and stranger comments from his shy friend, so he just shrugged.

"Big misunderstanding," he said, "but Nino's heart was in the right place." Nino shot him a grateful look.

Adrien turned back to the front of the room as class began, oblivious to the existential crisis happening right behind him. Nino tried to set Adrien up on a date with Chat Noir? But Chat Noir said his friends were trying to set him up on a date with his civilian self. And that meant...that could only mean...

Oh.

Oh no.

One glance at his right hand and she saw his miraculous. Marinette felt her face burn as she realized she had bodily thrown Adrien Agreste, beloved model, halfway across Paris. But as soon as her embarrassment surfaced, it was gone again. It felt like a puzzle piece had finally slipped into place, like she'd finally found the solution to a problem she didn't know she had. Strange as it was to imagine the polite, unassuming boy in front of her brazenly flirting and smacking akumas around with a metal baton, it somehow fit. 

The moment class ended, Marinette snatched up her backpack and jumped down a step. "Adrien, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Marinette," he said, standing. Behind him, Alya grabbed Nino's arm, and they both gave Marinette a thumbs-up. Adrien followed her out the door and into a nearby empty classroom. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Just - just stand here for a second." Marinette examined his face, imagining a black mask and wild hair. Cat ears. Super green eyes. He looked at her questioningly, and it was the same expression Chat sometimes had when she got a particularly strange lucky charm. This was him - this was her _Chaton_.

"Uh, Marinette? Everything okay?" Adrien asked.

She stared at him, remembering his pouty face the night before, and burst out laughing again. "I'm sorry," she choked between laughs. "I'm so sorry, I just - hold on." It took a few minutes for Marinette to get ahold of herself, and poor Adrien wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. Should he be laughing too? He didn't even know what she found so funny.

"I'm sorry, _Chaton_ ," she said, wiping her eyes. "It was funny when you told me last night, and it's funny now."

Adrien looked confused. "Funny last night? But-" his eyes widened, and suddenly he was examining Marinette just as closely as she'd looked at him. His eyes raked over her face, her hair, her earrings. She stood patiently while he put the pieces together. "Marinette?" he asked in a quiet voice.

She smiled. "Hi, Kitty."

His face broke into a huge grin. "My Lady!" Marinette squealed as he picked her up and spun her around, laughing. "It's you! This is perfect! It's Marinette!"

"Slow down, Kitty," she said, laughing and gripping his shoulders. 

He set her back down, beaming. "Does this mean no more secrets?"

Marinette stared up into his bright green eyes, that eager face with its childlike joy, which had never looked more beautiful. She took a deep breath. "No more secrets," she agreed. "And that means I have something to tell you." He caught onto her tone and nodded, face serious and attentive. He looked so much like Chat listening to another of her convoluted plans that she wanted to laugh and hug him again. She forced the words out before she could change her mind. "I've been rejecting Chat Noir because I'm in love with Adrien Agreste."

His mouth fell open. 

She giggled nervously. "I know. We're both pretty stupid, huh? Adrien is Chat, Chat's in love with Ladybug, Ladybug is Marinette, Marinette's in love with Adrien..." she trailed off.

He stared at her urgently. "Do you - do you still-"

"Yes," she whispered. "And you-"

"Yes!" He took her face in his hands, thumbs tracing where her mask would have been. "Can I kiss you?"

"Please," she breathed, and his lips met hers. A shiver went down her spine, and she leaned into him, sighing. 

A loud shriek interrupted them. The pair jumped apart and turned, ready to face an akuma, but all they saw was Alya standing in the doorway. Which, come to think of it, was almost as scary.

"Oh my god!" Alya screamed, running in and tackling them both in a hug. "Finally!"

"Alya," Marinette gasped. "Can't breathe."

"Sorry!" she released them. "But seriously, girl, what happened? Are you guys a thing now?"

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other, and he tentatively took her hand in his. She smiled. "I think so." He beamed at her again, squeezing her hand.

Alya squealed. "I am sending Chat Noir a thank-you note. Or a gift basket. Maybe flowers!"

"Chat Noir?"

"He jump-started Adrinette! I have to thank him!"

"Adrinette?" Adrien asked, missing how red Marinette's face got.

"Duh," Alya said, "that's your couple name."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "How long have you been thinking about this?"

"Marinette's been in love with you since the day you met, dummy!"

Marinette flushed under Adrien's gaze, a very Chat-like grin on his face. "Don't let it go to your head," she warned.

"I have to tell Nino!" Alya grabbed Marinette in one last hug and then raced out of the room.

"A gift basket for Chat Noir," Adrien mused, pulling Marinette close. "I like the sound of that."

"Silly Chat," she said, pushing him playfully. "Though I guess I do owe you a thank you for getting us into this mess in the first place."

He grinned, brushing her hair out of her face. "I can think of a few ways you can thank me."

"Oh really, Kitty?" she asked, pushing up into her tiptoes. "Do tell."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is my first ever fic, comments and concrit welcome, but fair warning: if you're mean to me I'll cry.
> 
> So much love for this community!


End file.
